Nationwide protest to follow if octroi is not abolished-ACCI

The Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries warned nationwide protests would spark, if the government did not remove octroi.

Octroi is a tax levied on various goods entering a town or city.

The Cabinet recently decided to collect taxes from the traders, if they unload their goods in the same city, reserving its last year’s decision that municipalities would no longer realize the tax known as octroi.

The ACCI finds charging of taxes at the entry gates to be a non-transparent way of charging taxes.

“This decision will only feed the already endemic corruption in the country. It will further result in soaring prices of commodities,” said chief of ACCI Mohammad Qurban Haqju.

According to Mr. Haqju, the traders have decided to not allow trucks to enter cities across the country to unload goods as of Sunday.

More than 3,000 trucks carrying raw materials for food and construction have been stopped over the past two weeks at Pul-e-Charkhi east of Kabul in protest, added Mr. Haqju.

This reaction from the traders comes after the government failed to meet their demands.